Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts to FA Cup draw versus Arsenal

Manchester United’s caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that he is excited by the FA Cup challenge after the Red Devils were pitted against Arsenal for the fourth round of the competition. The Mancunian giants have been in splendid form under the guidance of the interim head coach and the recent triumph over Reading in the FA Cup third round saw them secure their fifth successive victory.

However, their prospects of securing FA Cup success lie on beating the big teams and Solskjaer is up to the challenge of facing the Gunners on the road in the next round, he told MUTV: “Fantastic. We need these games. These players need the big games to be challenged. Of course, everyone says we have won the last five games but [they have] not been [against] big opposition. But you can only beat the teams you play and, for us to get tested and go to the next level, you need those games. And if you want to win the FA Cup, you have to beat everybody.”

United have generally enjoyed a good record against the Gunners in all competitions and they managed to play out an exciting 2-2 draw during the recent league meeting at Old Trafford. As such, they should not hold fear with the opposition equally vulnerable at the back, though the Gunners have the home advantage to bank upon against Ole’s team.

The Red Devils are currently eight points behind the top-four positions in the standings and they face a potentially must-win game at Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. United have been out powered by Spurs in each of the previous two meetings but they could have a minor advantage over the weekend with the hosts coming off a midweek game against Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final.